Jump Height Measuring Device

ABSTRACT

A jump height measuring device with an arrangement of impact elements that are arranged one above the other at a respective distance in a longitudinal direction and which can be pivoted individually transverse to the longitudinal direction, wherein the number of pivoted impact elements forms a measure for a jump height. Each impact element can be pivoted out of a base position against a return force in at least one pivoting direction, up to a defined end position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of DE 102021118583.1 filed on Jul. 19, 2021; this application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to a jump height measuring device.

Such jump height measuring devices generally serve to detect jump heights for jumps performed by a person.

Known jump height measuring devices have an arrangement of impact elements, particularly impact bars, that are rotatably mounted on a bracket. The longitudinal axis of the bracket runs in the vertical direction, wherein the individual impact elements are preferably arranged at respectively equal distances to one another, one above the other, on the bracket. The longitudinal axes of the impact elements run in the horizontal direction, i.e., transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bracket. The impact elements can be rotated about a rotational axis that coincides with the longitudinal axis of the bracket. The bracket itself is fixed to a frame or similar, such that the impact elements are arranged on the bracket within a defined jump height range above a ground. A person using the jump height measuring device jumps upward from the ground. Depending on the achieved jump height, the person with their hand held up comes in contact with a part of the impact elements. The impact elements rotate by manual impact and are pivoted from a starting direction, in which all impact elements are oriented in parallel.

Based on the pivoted impact elements, the person can detect the jump height they have achieved. The jump height measuring device can therefore be used advantageously by the respective person to improve their jumping technique in a targeted manner.

It is disadvantageous with such jump height measuring devices, however, that the individual impact elements are freely rotatable. Upon impact on the impact elements, they therefore rotate uncontrolled, wherein the pivoting is dependent on the acting force. Since the forces acting on the individual impact elements are not constant, the individual impact elements rotate differently, some can even return to their starting position.

This makes it difficult to precisely read the precise jump height based on the pivoted impact elements, which limits the functionality of the jump height measuring device in an undesired manner.

Since the individual impact elements are freely rotatable, it is also difficult to orient these impact elements to be parallel to one another again following a jump by a person, and in this manner to prepare them in defined starting positions for a new jump. A person must use a mechanical aid, such as a stick or broom, to orient the impact elements parallel to one another, which is laborious and difficult due to the free rotatability of the impact elements on the bracket.

SUMMARY

The invention relates to a jump height measuring device (1) with an arrangement of impact elements that are arranged one above the other at a respective distance in a longitudinal direction and which can be pivoted individually transverse to the longitudinal direction, wherein the number of pivoted impact elements forms a measure for a jump height. Each impact element can be pivoted out of a base position against a return force in at least one pivoting direction, up to a defined end position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention seeks to solve the problem of improving the functionality of a jump height measuring device of the type mentioned at the outset.

The features of claim 1 are provided to solve this problem. Advantageous embodiments and useful further developments are described in the dependent claims.

The invention relates to a jump height measuring device with an arrangement of impact elements that are that are arranged one above the other at a respective distance in a longitudinal direction, and which can be pivoted individually transverse to the longitudinal direction, wherein the number of pivoted impact elements forms a measure for a jump height. Each impact element can be pivoted out of a base position against a return force in at least one pivoting direction, up to a defined end position.

An essential advantage of the jump height measuring device according to the invention is that the individual impact elements, which are advantageously formed as impact bars, can be respectively brought out of a defined base position into at least one defined end position when a person impacts against some of the impact elements when executing a jump. In this context, the impact elements are secured in their base position with a return force. When a person impacts against the impact elements, these are pivoted against the return force. Moreover, the impact elements are mechanically secured in the at least one end position.

Therefore, upon use of the jump height measuring device, a clear spatial arrangement of the impact elements results, such that impact elements not impacted by the person remain in their base position, while the impacted impact elements are located in their end position, wherein the impact elements only occupy an interim position if they are only very lightly impacted.

Therefore, upon use of the jump height measuring device according to the invention, the achieved jump height can be easily read through the impact elements moved into the end position.

In this context, it is advantageous for the base position and the at least one end position to be defined in the same manner for all impact elements, wherein the longitudinal axes of the impact elements are formed parallel, both in their base position as well as in their at least one end position.

In the jump height measuring device according to the invention, the impact elements form a module that can be mounted on a bracket such that the impact elements cover a jump height range.

The jump height measuring device can therefore be installed flexibly, wherein particularly the jump height range can be simply defined.

Advantageously, an arrangement of identically formed impact elements is provided, said elements being arranged equidistant from one another in the vertical direction.

In principle, a merely approximate vertical arrangement is conceivable.

According to an embodiment with an advantageous design, a mounting arrangement extending in the longitudinal direction is provided with an arrangement of identically formed mounting units arranged one above the other, wherein each mounting unit has a mounting segment at which an impact element is pivotably mounted.

All impact elements are therefore mounted to the mounting arrangement in an identical manner. It is useful for each impact element to have two arm segments on a longitudinal side, between which the mounting segment is mounted.

Pivot movements that are simple from a design perspective are realized thereby.

It is further advantageous for each mounting unit to have at least one stop, by means of which the impact element is held in the end position.

With this, the end positions are established particularly simply.

According to a first variant of the invention, an impact element can only be pivoted in one direction from the base position to only one end position.

This embodiment is realized advantageously by providing a spring element, said spring element generating a return force against which the impact element can be pivoted out of the base position, wherein it is useful for the spring element to be mounted to only one of the arm segments of the impact element.

Advantageously, the spring element is a spring plate.

The mounting segment has a circular-cylindrical sleeve surface on which the arm segments of the impact element are guided.

With this, the impact element can be rotated well at the mounting segment, wherein the spring element provides the return force on one side, against which return force the impact element can be pivoted up to the end position.

According to a second variant of the invention, an impact element can be pivoted in two directions from the base position, into one end position in each direction. In this context, each end position is provided by respectively one stop.

With this, an even more flexible use of the jump height measuring device is enabled, since when executing a jump, a person can optionally impact against one side of the arrangement of impact elements in order to thereby pivot the impact elements into the respective end position.

According to an embodiment with an advantageous design, the mounting segment of a mounting unit has a rotationally asymmetrical sleeve surface with two opposite contact surfaces, wherein in the base position of the impact element, its arm segments are each in contact with a contact surface.

In this context, the arm segments of the impact element are elastically deformable, wherein with regard to non-deformed arm segments, their clear distance to one another is less than the distance of the contact surfaces.

In this case, the return forces that hold the impact elements in the base position are achieved by the rotationally asymmetrical mounting segments and the elastically deformable arm segments of the impact elements. The geometry of a mounting segment is designed such that in the base position, the arm segments of the impact elements are in contact with the contact surface of the mounting segment, wherein due to the elastic deformations of the arm segments, the impact element is held in the base position by a return force generated by these elastic deformations. If a person then impacts against the impact element, it is pivoted against the return force and moved in the direction of the end position, which is defined by a stop. In this context, the shape of the mounting segment is formed such that in the end position, the arm segments are no longer spread apart by the mounting segment.

Advantageously, the mounting segment has an essentially rectangular outer contour, wherein its narrow sides form the contact surfaces.

Advantageously, the inner contours of the arm segments are adapted to the outer contour of the mounting segment. When an impact element is lying in an end position, the longitudinal sides of the mounting segment are thus in contact with the inner sides of the arm segments of the impact element without the latter being elastically deformed.

It is useful for the edges between the narrow sides and longitudinal sides of the mounting segment to be rounded.

This allows the impact element to be guided out of the base position without jamming.

It is further advantageous with this embodiment that upon approaching the base position, the impact element autonomously moves in the direction of the base position due to the deformation of the arm segments and the contour of the mounting segments, and is then in oriented in the base position. This ensures a stable base position of the impact element.

After a person has performed a jump height measurement with the jump height measuring device by pivoting, depending on the jump height achieved, a number of impact elements from the base position into the end position, a reset of the pivoted impact elements into the base position can take place. Since after an executed jump height measurement the impact elements are in defined end positions, a person can immediately afterwards use the jump height measuring device for another jump height measurement, such as to determine if they could improve their jump height. Therefore, the person can, depending on their choice, reset the impact elements only after a number of jumps.

This reset can take place manually with a rod or similar. Alternatively, a reset device can be provided, by means of which the impact elements can be reset to their base position.

This can be formed by a cord that is guided through all impact elements. The impact elements are transitioned into their base position by pulling on the cord.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in the following with reference to the drawings. They show:

FIG. 1A: Exemplary embodiment of the jump height measuring device according to the invention in a side view,

FIG. 1B: Exemplary embodiment of the jump height measuring device according to the invention in a top-down view onto the front side,

FIG. 2 : Depiction of an impact bar of the jump height measuring device in a base position and in two end positions,

FIG. 3 : Individual depiction of a first embodiment of a mounting segment of the jump height measuring device with assigned impact bar,

FIG. 4A: Arrangement of the impact bars on the mounting segment according to FIG. 3 in the base position,

FIG. 4B: Enlarged partial depiction of the arrangement according to FIG. 4A,

FIG. 5A: Arrangement of the impact bar on the mounting segment according to

FIG. 3 in an end position,

FIG. 5B: Enlarged partial depiction of the arrangement according to FIG. 5A,

FIG. 6A: Further embodiment of a mounting segment with assigned impact bars in the base position,

FIG. 6B: Further embodiment of a mounting segment with assigned impact bars in the end position,

FIG. 7A: Further embodiment of a mounting segment with assigned impact bars in the base position,

FIG. 7B: Further embodiment of a mounting segment with assigned impact bars in the end position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an exemplary embodiment of the jump height measuring device 1 according to the invention.

The jump height measuring device 1 forms a module with a base body 2 on which an arrangement of impact elements in the form of impact bars 3 is pivotably mounted. The identically formed impact bars 3 are arranged one above the other at identical distances from one another in the vertical direction on the base body 2.

The jump height measuring device 1 is mounted on a bracket, such as a post 4 standing on a ground, for example, such that the longitudinal axis of the base body 2 runs in the vertical direction. The longitudinal axes of the impact bars 3 runs in the horizontal direction, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the base body 2.

FIGS. 1A, 1B show the jump height measuring device 1 with the impact bars 3 in the base position, wherein the base position is the same for all impact bars 3, such that they are oriented in a vertical plane.

The jump height measuring device 1 is fitted to the bracket such that the impact bars 3 cover a jump height range. A person can train their jump behavior by jumping upward from the ground and impacting against the impact bars 2 with a hand, as indicated with the hand in FIGS. 1A, 1B. Depending on the jump height achieved, the person pivots a number of impact bars 3 with their hand. The pivoted impact bars 3 signal the jump height achieved by the person.

In the embodiment of the jump height measuring device 1, the impact bars 3 can be moved out of the base position into two end positions. In this context, the base position and the end positions are identical for all impact bars 3. In FIG. 2 , the base position for an impact bar 3 is labeled with I. The two end positions are labeled with II and III.

To realize the pivot capability of the impact bars 3 between the base position and the end positions, a mounting arrangement is provided in the base body 2, said mounting arrangement having identical mounting units 5, wherein a mounting unit 5 is assigned to each impact bar 3. Such a mounting unit 5 with the assigned impact bar 3 is shown in FIG. 3 .

Each mounting unit 5 has a mounting segment 6 that forms a pivot mount for the impact bars 3. Moreover, the mounting unit 5 has two stops 7 a, 7 b that limit the pivot movement of the impact bars 3 in the end positions.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the mounting segment 6 has a rotationally asymmetrical cross- section with its essentially rectangular outer edges. The mounting segment 6 has one central segment and two outer segments that are connected by a crosspiece segment.

To this is adapted the free end of the impact bars 3 that is shown in FIG. 3 . Said free end of the impact bars 3 is formed by two elastically deformable mirror-symmetrical arm segments 8 a, 8 b. The inner contours of the arm segments 8 a, 8 b are adapted to the outer contour of the mounting segment 6.

The outer sides of the two outer segments form contact surfaces 9 a, 9 b that are contacted by the inner sides of the arm segments 8 a, 8 b in the base position. The edges of the outer segments of the mounting segment 6 that adjoin the contact surfaces 9 a, 9 b are rounded.

The clear distance between the inner sides of the arm segments 8 a, 8 b in the non-deformed state is somewhat less than the distance between the contact surfaces 9 a, 9 b of the mounting segment 6.

In the base position (shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B), the inner sides lie in the contact surfaces 9 a, 9 b, wherein the arm segments 8 a, 8 b are elastically deformed and somewhat spread apart. A return force that holds the impact bars 3 in the base position is generated by the elastic deformation of the arm segments 8 a, 8 b.

If an impact is executed on the impact bars 3, they are pivoted against the return force and moved into an end position, wherein they then are in contact within a stop 7. In this end position, the mounting segment 6 lies in the recesses of the arm segments 8 a, 8 b without the arm segments 8 a, 8 b being elastically deformed (FIGS. 5A, 5B).

The impact bar 3 can be moved back to the base position by a reset device, or manually using a stick, or similar. Due to the shape of the mounting segment 6 that tapers toward the front, once the impact bar 3 is located in the vicinity of the base position, the base position is autonomously assumed.

FIGS. 6A, 6B show another exemplary embodiment for the jump height measuring device 1.

In this case as well, the impact bar 3 has two arm segments 8 a, 8 b that are pivotably mounted on a mounting segment 6, wherein again the inner contours of the arm segments 8 a, 8 b are adapted to the outer contour of the mounting segment 6. In the present case, the mounting segment 6 is circular-cylindrical in shape.

In the present case, the return force that holds the impact bars 3 in the base position is generated by a spring element in the form of a spring plate 10. The spring plate 10 is mounted with one end at the mounting unit 5 and with the other end in one of the arm segments 8 a, 8 b.

Due to this one-sided coupling of the spring plate 10 to an arm segment 8 a, 8 b, when the jump height measuring device 1 is used, each impact bar 3 is only pivoted in one direction. Accordingly, only one end position that is defined by the stop 7 is present.

FIGS. 7A, 7B show a variant of the embodiment according to FIGS. 6A, 6B. In this case as well, the return force for stabilizing the impact bar 3 in the base position is generated by means of a spring plate 10. The spring plate 10 is fixed to the outer side of an arm segment 8 a, 8 b. Due to the one-sided coupling of the spring plate 10 to an arm segment 8 a, 8 b, again the impact bar 3 can only be pivoted in one direction up to a stop 7′.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(1) Jump height measuring device

(2) base body

(3) impact bar

(4) post

(5) mounting unit

(6) mounting segment

(7, 7′) stop

(7 a, 7 b) stop

(8 a, 8 b) arm segment

(9 a, 9 b) contact surface

(10) spring plate

I base position

II end position

III end position 

1. A jump height measuring device (1) with an arrangement of impact elements that are arranged at a distance above one another in a longitudinal direction, and that can be pivoted individually transverse to the longitudinal direction, wherein the number of pivoted impact elements forms a measure for a jump height, characterized in that each impact element can be pivoted out of a base position against a return force into at least one pivot direction up to a defined end position.
 2. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the impact elements form a module that can be mounted on a bracket such that the impact elements cover a jump height range.
 3. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that an arrangement of identically formed impact elements is provided, said impact elements being arranged equidistant one above the other in the vertical direction.
 4. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the impact elements are formed by impact bars (3).
 5. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the base position and the at least one end position is defined in the same manner, respectively, for all impact elements.
 6. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the longitudinal axes of the impact elements are formed parallel, both in their base position as well as their at least one end position.
 7. The jump height measurement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a mounting arrangement extending in a longitudinal direction with an arrangement of identically formed mounting units (5) arranged one above the other is provided, wherein each mounting unit (5) has a mounting segment (6) on which an impact element is pivotably mounted.
 8. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that each impact element has two arm segments (8 a, 8 b) at a longitudinal end, between which segments the mounting segment (6) is mounted.
 9. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that each mounting unit (5) has at least one stop (7) by means of which the impact element is held in the end position.
 10. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that an impact element can only be pivoted in one direction from the base position to only one end position.
 11. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that a spring element is provided that generates a return force against which the impact element can be pivoted out of the base position.
 12. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the spring element is a spring plate (10).
 13. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the spring element is only mounted on one of the arm segments (8 a, 8 b) of the impact element.
 14. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the mounting segment (6) has a circular-cylindrical sleeve surface on which the arm segments (8 a, 8 b) of the impact element are guided.
 15. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that an impact element can be pivoted out of the base position in two directions and into one end position in each direction.
 16. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 15, characterized in that each respective end position is defined by a respective stop (7).
 17. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 15, characterized in that the mounting segment (6) of a mounting unit (5) has a rotationally asymmetrical sleeve surface with two contact surfaces (9 a, 9 b) opposite one another, wherein in the base position of the impact element, each of its arm segments (8 a, 8 b) contact a contact surface (9 a, 9 b)
 18. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 17, characterized in that the arm segments (8 a, 8 b) of the impact element are elastically deformable.
 19. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 17, characterized in that in the case of non-deformed arm segments (8 a, 8 b), their clear distance to one another is less than the distance of the contact surfaces (9 a, 9 b).
 20. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 17, characterized in that the mounting segment (6) forms an essentially rectilinear outer contour, wherein its narrow sides form the contact surfaces (9 a, 9 b).
 21. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 17, characterized in that the edges between the narrow sides and the longitudinal sides of the mounting segment (6) are rounded.
 22. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 17, characterized in that the inner contours of the arm segments (8 a, 8 b) are adapted to the outer contour of the mounting segment (6).
 23. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that when an impact element is in an end position, the longitudinal sides of the mounting segment (6) contact the inner sides of the arm segments (8 a, 8 b) of the impact element without these being elastically deformed.
 24. The jump height measuring device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a reset device is provided by means of which the impact elements can be reset to their base position. 